Just in time for the weekend, Filling Stations is a weekly post that highlights one of Los Angeles’ destinations for craft beer, be it a bottle-shop with a great selection, a restaurant with great food to go with their beer list, or a bar serving excellent beers.

Library Alehouse

• Neighborhood: Alhambra View Larger Map
• Type: Bar & Grill
• Yelp Page
• Selection: 4/5 Price: 3/5 Staff: 5/5  Food: 5/5

38° Ale House is a craft beer oasis east of The 110 in one of Los Angeles’ oldest suburbs: Alhambra. Opened in 2009 by Clay Harding (co-founder of CoLAboration) and his partners, the lively restaurant and bar has become one of LA’s most well-regarded beer-centered eateries, and the reputation is well deserved!

In a sprawling space on Main St. in the charming historic downtown of Alhambra, 38° features 38 taps, an exhaustive bottle list, and a menu of scaled-up comfort food prepared with flair and attention to detail by the kitchen staff. A phalanx of televisions hangs above the bar showing the day’s sporting events (The LA Weekly even called it one of the Best Sports Bars in Los Angeles!)

The beer is the real draw to 38°, and the tap list covers the bases with a heady selection of hoppy IPAs, sessionable beers, and aged and imperial specialties. They feature curated flights and often have specials on food-and-beer pairings. If you are in a celebratory mood, the reserve bottle list has some real treats, including lots of selections from the Bruery and Russian River.

The bar staff and servers know their beer, and they are happy to help you pick just the right pint or help you decide on what food would pair best with your chosen beer. They also offer 5oz. tasters of all their taps so if you really can’t make up your mind you can order a few small pours to sample. Local brewery are well represented on the tap list, with choice beers from Eagle Rock Brewing, Golden Road, Beachwood BBQ, and Bootleggers on offer on a recent visit. The happy hour specials are killer and include $2 off all draught beers between 3pm and 7pm on weekdays.

The varied menu, with a wide selection of entrees, small plates, salads, sandwiches, and specials, makes the food-choice almost as difficult as the decision on what to drink. Items like the “menage a pork” (a chorizo and ground pork patty with bacon marmalade), chicken mac & cheese, and tempura green beans will vie for a spot on your table, and they are all excellent.

It might be a bit of a drive, but 38° is a favorite spot for some food and some beer whenever we venture into Pasadena.